The Courtship of Wyatt's Brother
by SinStar
Summary: When Chris went back to save his brother, he never expected for anything like this to happen. He never expected the Charmed Ones would figure out his true identity. He never expected to fall in love. But what he didn't know was: it was destined.
1. A New Witch Is Born

Chapter One: A New Witch is Born

Looking into the full-length mirror, Bella starred hard at her reflection, trying to decide if there was anything different about her now that she was twenty-one – and legal, as her friends made a habit of reminding her every night for the last week. She twirled slightly to each side, making a final assessment on her appearance. Her friends had been begging her for a month to let them take her out to celebrate "properly." After so much begging and pleading, she finally relented and agreed to a night on the town. After all, you only get to turn 21 once. Besides it couldn't hurt to let her friends have a little fun on her behalf.

"Bell-y, are you read-y? Everyone's already at the club waiting for us," her roommate called through the door, decked in a see-through, sparkling gold top and black pants.

"Yeah, Ry, I'll be out in just a second," she called back, taking one last fleeting look before grabbing her purse, flipping off the light and joining her best friend in the hallway.

"Damn, girl! You look hot! Where did you get that dress from?" Ryanna questioned, giving Bella an admiring once-over

Wearing a daring red dress accentuated by shiny, golden roses, Bella lived up to her friend's description quite appropriately. Usually the type to wear solid-colored, modest tops, the reveling dress was a major adjustment for the tomboyish college Senior.

"Kendra lent it to me, actually," she shyly admitted, blushing at the unusual amount of attention. Bella was typically the type of person who shied away from the spotlight. She was reserved, cautious and preferred to be alone. That's how she had spent most of her life, anyway, so it's all she ever knew.

"Well that figures. Kendra is the skank of the group!" Ryanna cackled, laughing as if she had made the funniest joke the world had ever known.

"Come on. They're probably already waiting for us at the club," Bella reminded, trying to distract her friend from the mean-streak she knew would follow. Kendra and Ryanna had a history together. When they were both freshman, Ryanna met this guy, Jerry. Jerry told her he was single, and they really hit it off. Six month into their relationship, she found out he had been dating and sleeping with another girl, Kendra, for three months. The thing was that Jerry told Kendra he was single, so she had no idea about Ryanna. Instead of getting mad at Jerry, though, Ryanna decided to place all the blame on Kendra, and they've been enemies ever since. The problem, however, is that Bella was friends with both girls, so it made it very difficult for them to do group outings.

"You're right. Wouldn't want to leave J.P. hanging, now would we?" Ryanna giggled. J.P., or John Peter, was actually Kendra's older brother. It always amazed Bella to see her best friend so ga-ga over the brother of her worst enemy, but she held up hope that someday her feelings for J.P would encourage her to forgive Kendra.

"Yes, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Bella sarcastically replied, heading for the door. "Besides, Zach said he was driving down tomorrow, so I need to get back at a semi-decent hour." Noticing the disappointed look on her roommates face, she added, "But you can stay, if you want. I'll just leave the car and walk back."

Satisfied, the girls exited the apartment and headed out to enjoy a night on the town in honor of Bella's birthday.

The night air was sticky against her sweaty skin. She had been dancing for hours, and her once flowing dress now clung to her damp, sweat-covered body, leaving nothing to the imagination. It was 11:20 pm, and she was walking alone along the dark, poorly lit sidewalk. Unfortunately, due to her brother's flight arriving at an almost ungodly hour in the morning, from their hometown, San Diego, she had had to leave the club early. Surprisingly, she had actually been enjoying herself, despite the idiots using every pick-up line known to man trying to get her to dance with them. She had never been the clubbing type, but just being able to dance and let loose with her closest friends had been just what she needed to release the stress of her most recent semester class load. The feeling had been almost liberating, having nothing to worry about except dancing.

Lost in her thoughts, Bella didn't notice the rustling bushes until she had almost reached them. She glanced nervously to her left, a sudden noise drawing her attention to the row of bushes in the back, lining the dark, abandoned street. She had walked this path for three-and-a-half years and had never once felt unsafe – until now. Her female intuition was flaring, telling her that someone – or rather, something – was after her. The darkness, however, left her at a disadvantage, and she knew her only hope was getting off this particular path, onto a more populated and well-lit street.

Squinting her eyes in the darkness, keeping a keen eye for danger, Bella finally spotted her predator just before he lunged at her, claws and fangs bared. Closing her eyes and bracing for the attack, Bella unknowingly found herself orbing in place, narrowly escaping her attackers strike. Still frightened and now even more confused, Bella wasted no time making a run for the street just 20 yards in front of her. She knew she had to get help, so she used the motivation of survival and the adrenaline racing through her veins to carry her to the safety of the street lamps revealing glow.

"Somebody, HELP! Something's after me!" she cried, panting for breath and searching wildly for a savior. "Please, sir. Please help me! This … this… beast tried to kill me. Can I please use your phone? Please, sir, it's an emergency," she begged, grasping at an older, kind-faced gentleman and his wife who were just exiting a restaurant.

"Heavens! What's the matter, dear?" the older man gently asked, resting a reassuring hand on her shaking shoulder.

"It… it… was after me. It was this… MONSTER!" she cried, unsure whether she could really trust the sight she had just seen. It had looked like a long-armed, long-legged, hairy human with a snout. That couldn't be right, though. Humans didn't have snouts or hair covering their faces. Not the way that creature did, anyway.

"Here, honey. Use my phone to call someone. We'll wait with you until your ride gets her," the man's wife offered, giving Bella the most heartwarming smile she had ever received.

When Bella finally calmed enough to notice that the beast had not pursued her onto the street, a sense of calming relief finally washed over her, and she took a deep, cleansing breath to slow her racing heart. "Thank you, sir, m'am," she gratefully whispered, using the offered phone to call her roommate to come pick her up.

While she waited for Ryanna to come pick her up, she had more than enough time to think about what had just happened and how she had managed to escape the beast's attack. The problem was, it just didn't seem logical, let alone physically possible. It was like one moment she was standing there, quivering in fear, and the next, she was… well, to be completely honest, it was like she was nowhere. In a sort of alternate plane or dimension. But, once again, that was not possible… was it?

"Bella!" her roommate called out, pulling up to the curb in Bella's prized apple-green Mustang with a worried look covering her face. "Are you alright?" She jumped out of the car and pulled her best friend into a comforting hug.

"I'm fine," Bella promised, returning the hug with vigor. She had never been more frightened in her life, but in all honesty, she felt a million times better now that her friend was there. Turning to the older couple, Beverly and Andy Mitchell, who had been trying to keep Bella's mind from wandering by carrying on a steady conversation, she quickly pulled each of them into a strong, grateful hug. "Thank you so much for your help. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't run into you tonight."

"Oh, precious. It was our pleasure. You just take care of yourself, you hear?" Beverly responded. At Bella's nod, she took her husbands hand and, walking side-by-side to their new, silver Buick, the couple drove away, heading home.

"Let's go home," Bella whispered to Ryanna.

Ryanna nodded in agreement, sliding back into the driver's seat and speeding away from the scene, neither of them noticing the looming creature with the glowing yellow eyes watching them from the dense foliage of the park across the street.


	2. A ‘Charmed’ Encounter

Chapter Two: A 'Charmed' Encounter

Bella concentrated, focusing on the large, blow-up duck she had positioned in the middle of Kendra's pool. Taking in a deep breath, she felt the power building within her before a large stream of fire flew from her fingertips aimed not at her target, but at Kendra's mother's fence, behind the duck. "Damnit!" she cursed, frustration and disappointment evident in her tone.

Using his hydrokinesis power to control the water from the pool, J.P. quickly extinguished the flames before they had enough time to spread the fire to the brush along the fence. He knew how frustrating this whole situation had to be for Bella, but considering the circumstances, she was handling it quite well. Most people would have freaked out if they found out they had magical powers. Instead, Bella had taken the initiative and started training herself to be better and more in control in case another demon attacked. One of her powers, luckily, had been power-sensing. She had the ability to determine what species a person was just by looking at them. That's how she had discovered J.P. and Kendra's secret. She had noticed a yellow glow around them that was different than the usual orange she saw around mortals. When she questioned them about it, they could tell she was slightly shaken, confused and alone, so they had taken her to their mother, who agreed to help Bella train.

"It takes time to learn your powers and how to control them, Bella. You're doing great, though," Kendra encouraged, looking at her brother and mother for help.

"Did you know it took me two years to finally get the hang of my hydrokinesis power?" J.P. mentioned. "I kept overshooting my target and putting too much power into it. After two weeks of training, my mom's fence looked like Swiss cheese with all the holes I had made. You know what my mom told me every time I felt like giving up? She simply said, 'Try again.' To me, that was the most encouraging thing she could have said because it meant that, even though I was destroying her yard and probably costing her tons of money, she had faith in me. She wanted me to keep trying. She wanted me to master this skill. Eventually, I did, but no matter how many times I screwed up, my mom kept telling me to try again."

Bella let out a small smile, looking at the love J.P. had shining in his eyes for his mother. It was obvious her kids loved her deeply. She could see that in the way Kendra and J.P. treated others. Their mother had raised them right, in Bella's eyes, and to have someone so supportive and encouraging behind you – that was the true key to success.

Bella took another deep breath, concentrating on the floating duck, harnessing the power she felt flowing through her body. She knew she could do this. She had to do this. Trying to keep control and hold back her emotions, Bella aimed her hand and released her pyrokinesis on the duck. She watched with disappointment as the fire, once again, overshot the target and hit a tree in the neighboring garden. The fire hadn't even settled before it was fully extinguished, leaving any witnesses to wonder if it had even been there at all or if their imagination had been running wild.

"I think we better lay low for awhile. Why don't we try again tomorrow?" Kendra suggested, not wanting to discourage her friend, but also trying to keep the secret of magic to avoid a run-in with The Cleaners.

Hanging her head, Bella sighed in defeat. "Thanks guys, for all your help. I'm sorry about the fence, Mrs. Michaels."

"John, Kendra, why don't you two go inside and start lunch. We'll be there in just a second," Karen Michaels ordered, pulling Bella to the side.

"Yes, momma," J.P. and Kendra answered, following their mother's orders without fuss.

Once they were out of sight, Karen turned her attention on the disheartened girl in front of her. "Now, I know you might feel discouraged right now, but you were given this gift for a purpose. You were meant to do great things with your powers, I just know it. I am psychic, after all," she joked. Turning serious again, Karen looked Bella straight in the eyes, wanting to make sure her message was getting through. "Bella, the Elders wouldn't have given you this power if they didn't think you could handle it. The Elders are very wise and I'm sure they see the same things I see when I look at you. I knew the very first time you came to my house with Kendra in 5th grade, you were meant for greatness. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. You're such an amazing, talented, intelligent young lady. You can handle anything. I just know it. Just give it time and keep practicing, and before you know it, you'll be a master at pyrokinesis."

"Thanks, momma," Bella smiled, pulling the older woman into an affectionate hug. After her mother and father died, the Michaels had been Bella's saving grace. They filled in when Zack just couldn't handle it. They gave both Bella and Zack a safe haven to come to when things got tough. They even helped Zack pay for Bella's college education, a gift both Bella and Zack would always treasure, since the Michaels had two kids of their own they had to pay for.

"Anytime, honey. You know you're always welcome here." Karen returned the embrace, holding on to the young woman who had become like a second daughter to her. "Now come on, there's no telling what kind of mess those two no-good kids of mine have created in the kitchen. We better go make sure they're not making us eat week-old left-over lasagna and ice cream for lunch."

Bella laughed at the accuracy of the comment, having been witness to it hundreds of times growing up. With a knowing look to one another, both Bella and Momma Michaels took off at top speed, headed straight to the kitchen to try and salvage lunch before it was too late.

Entering the dark apartment Sunday night, Bella could tell at once that Ryanna wasn't home. Most likely, she was still at her mom's house, having dinner with her mom and two younger brothers. Setting her keys on the end table by the door, Bella let out a sigh of exhaustion. It had been a long, tiring day, and she had left the Michaels' house disheartened and disappointed, when, after eight hours of practice, she had only hit the target twice. Mrs. Michaels told her not to give up just yet, but she was finding it hard to keep a bright outlook when she was met with failure after failure.

Heading into the kitchen for a glass of water, Bella turned on the lights, only to be startled by a deep, gravely voice looming right behind her. "Surprise, _witch,_" the voice sneered before Bella found herself flying across the room, falling victim to a telekinetic attack by the menacing, upper-level demon.

Bella quickly got her thoughts together and crawled behind the couch, preparing for the demons next attack. Knowing he would try to flush her out, she got into a crouched position, ready to run whenever he went to attack again.

Sure enough, just as she had predicted, an energy ball came flying through the air, hitting the couch, leaving her just enough time to dodge the explosion. Turning back toward the demon, ready to fight, she felt the searing pain of another energy ball slicing through her left shoulder, throwing her back against the wall. Focusing all her anger toward the demon and channeling it through her fingers, she released a perfectly aimed blast of pyrokinesis, causing the demon to flame up and explode, but not before he got another hit in on her chest.

Just before she passed out from the pain, Bella noticed the bright blue lights that could only come from a person orbing. Three young women – one with long, dark brown hair, one with short, cropped dark brown hair, and the last with wavy blondish-red hair – made it in just enough time to witness Bella's vanquish before everything went dark in Bella's eyes. The three women looked at one another, exchanging bewildered looks, before the blondish-red one, holding on to her sister's hands and placing her free hand to Bella's arm, orbed all four women back to the sister's manor on Prescot. The only sign that anything at all had even happened was the scorch marks on the carpet where the demon once stood.

"Leo!" Piper called into the air, calling their former-whitelighter-turned-elder and her former-husband to come heal the innocent they had orbed back to the manor. Not even two seconds later, Leo orbed into the room and was quickly ushered to the young, hurt witch.

"Who is this? You can't just bring strangers into the manor without finding out who they are first," the sisters heard, as their new whitelighter, Chris Perry, entered the room, a scowl crossing his face.

"Relax, Chris. She's a witch. She was attacked by the demon we were after," Paige quickly defended the young witch being healed in the next room. "She vanquished him before we could get there. She's an innocent," Paige added before Chris could get a word in edge-wise.

With no rebuttal, Chris quickly made his way into the atrium, peering over at the girl as she regained consciousness. Chris couldn't help but find the young woman attractive as he studied her intently for any signs of evil or foul intentions. Bella slowly opened her eyes, met with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The man standing over her was absolutely breath-taking. He had the most beautiful green eyes with dark hair falling softly over his forehead. The most interesting thing about him, however, was the fact that he had a yellowish-white glow around him, signifying that he was a mix-breed just like her.

Slowly, the pain started to fade, and Bella was able to sit up, taking in all the people around her. Behind her, Chris and Piper, the one with the long, dark brown hair, studied her as she looked around, bewildered and overwhelmed. To her left, Phoebe, the one with the short, cropped brown hair was giving her sympathetic, curious looks. And right in front of her, Leo still sat in the same position he had been while healing her, with Paige watching with interest over his shoulder.

"What happened?" Bella quietly questioned, searching her brain, trying to figure out how she had gotten to the manor. As an afterthought, she added, "And who are you?" She could tell from the yellowish glow surrounding the three other women in the room that they were all witches – and very powerful ones, at that. The guy who had healed her had a strangely ethereal white glow surrounding him, almost like he was an angel or something similar.

"We should be asking you that same question," Chris responded harshly, only to be slapped lightly by Phoebe. She could feel Bella's confusion and sense how overwhelming all of this was for her.

"Don't mind Chris, there. He hasn't taken his nice pills yet today," Phoebe joked, trying to make the girl feel more comfortable. "I'm Phoebe, and these are my sisters, Piper and Paige," Phoebe added, gesturing to each of her sisters as she introduced them. "And the guy who healed you is Leo."

"I'm Bella. Bella Monroe. You're the Charmed Ones, aren't you?" Bella asked, innocently, garnering a glare from Chris and a look of surprise from Piper.

"You've heard of us?" Paige wondered, looking slightly pensive at this piece of information. Maybe Chris was right to distrust her if she knew about the Charmed Ones. Then again, lots of magical creatures, including other witches, knew who they were, and they had never feared any of them.

"Yeah. My friend told me about you. You're supposed to be the most powerful withes on Earth!" Bella exclaimed, amazed that she was having a conversation with the legendary witches her friends had told her stories about. "But I can't quite figure out what you are…" she added, addressing her statement at Leo. "I haven't learned what all the different colors mean, yet. I know orange means mortal, yellow means witch, and black means demons, but I don't know what white is yet."

"What do you mean by colors?" Leo asked, looking perplexed.

"Well, you three," she said, looking at the Halliwells, "have a rings of yellow surrounding you, but it's brighter than I've ever seen before, so it must mean you're extremely powerful. You," she pointed to Leo, "have a ring of white surrounding you. And he," she looked at Chris, "has the same colors as me."

Enlightenment suddenly dawned on Leo's face as he figured out what she meant. "You must have the ability of power sensing. It's very rare, and only extremely powerful beings have it. I'm guessing the different colors signify different species of magical beings. I'm an Elder, so white must be for Elders," Leo explained, not just telling Bella, but everyone else in the room as well.

"Bella, when did you get your powers?" Piper spoke for the first time, cocking her head to the side in confusion and interest.

"Last week, on my twenty-first birthday," she admitted, shyly. She knew compared to the Charmed Ones, she must look weak and inexperienced. She felt embarrassed admitting she had only had her powers for a week.

"Last week? Leo can you…" Piper began, only to be cut off by Leo.

"I'll go talk to the other Elders and see what they say about her," he nodded, disappearing in his usual cloud of blue and white lights.

"In the meantime, Phoebe, can you take Bella upstairs and get her a change of clothes? Her clothes are kind of… burnt. Paige, can you check the book and look for the demon she vanquished, see if you can find a name and see what he was after? I've got the head back to the club to see what I can do about the DJ calling off. Chris, can you orb me to the club?" Piper delegated, taking charge as only the eldest sister can.

"Come on, Bella. I think I have the perfect outfit for you!" Phoebe exclaimed, dragging Bella up the stairs before she had time to protest.

Without a word, Paige orbed into the attic, going through the Book of Shadows to try and identify the demon Bella had just vanquished. And Chris and Piper orbed over to the club in an attempt to solve the latest mishap to happen to P3.

The atrium was left, silent, as everyone disappeared to do their individual tasks, waiting for word from Leo about the newest witch to enter the Halliwells lives.


	3. Paige’s First Charge

_**Chapter Three: Paige's First Charge**_

Sensing Paige, Phoebe and Bella in the attic, Leo orbed down, a message from the Elders waiting to be delivered. "I spoke with the Elders and…." Leo began, looking around and noticing that Piper was missing. "Where's Piper?"

"Piper and Chris are at P3. The DJ for tonight cancelled at the last minute, so Piper had to do what Piper does best… improvise," Paige responded, continuing her search through the Book with Bella by her side.

"There! That's him! That's the demon that attacked me!" Bella exclaimed, pointing at the open page marked Aarmond.

Rushing to her side and looking over her shoulder, Phoebe read the inscription on the page out loud. "'Aarmond. An upper-level demon known for his manipulative methods and merciless attitude. Aarmond was given the ability to distort a person's reality and cause them to become confused and vulnerable, but got this power taken away when he tried to use it against the Source. He also has the added abilities of shimmering, telekinesis, conjuring energy balls, and creating a telekinetic chokehold on his victims. Due to his notable record, Aarmond is often hired by other demons to eliminate witches they view as threats. Beware of this demon's eyes. They can temporarily blind a victim. There is no known vanquish. Try potions or a spell.'" Letting out a low whistle, Phoebe looked at Bella, impressed that she was able to vanquish such a powerful demon by herself.

"Paige, Phoebe. The Elders sent me down here to deliver a message," Leo offered, trying to get the girls' focus back on him. "The Elders said they felt a huge surge last week that they are now crediting to Bella receiving her powers. According to Eli, if Bella is who we think she is, she's a very powerful witch who has a very important destiny." Turning to Bella, Leo spoke directly to her. "Almost 22 years ago, an Elder was banished for carrying on a secret love affair with a very powerful witch. We think you might be the daughter of that former Elder, Axalon, and his wife, Mary. If it's true it means you are the first half-witch, half-Elder ever to exist."

By the time Leo was done, Bella's eyes were huge as she stared in wonder, unable to wrap her mind around what she was hearing. There was no way she could be this super-powerful witch. She just couldn't imagine herself being a super-powerful anything. And from the way Leo was speaking, it sounded like she was supposed to be even more powerful than the Charmed Ones themselves.

"Whoa," was all Paige or Phoebe could mutter, trying to absorb everything Leo was telling them. This girl, a single half-witch, half-Elder, was more powerful than any other living magical being. They weren't sure how they were supposed to react, but Phoebe could feel Bella starting to panic. "What else did the Elders say, Leo?" she probed, trying to draw everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Well, they said Bella needs to be assigned to a whitelighter, and they have the perfect one in mind," he hinted, looking pointedly at Paige.

"No! Oh no! You can't be serious! I'm not a whiteligher, I'm a witch!" Paige rambled, cutting off every attempt Phoebe or Leo made to interrupt her. "I can't train another witch when I'm still learning myself. Besides, I have Richard to keep an eye on, and I have my temp jobs. I just… I can't, Leo. You have to tell them I can't…"

"Paige!" Phoebe finally yelled, causing Paige to lose her train of thought and go quiet. "Paige, you'll be a great whitelighter. I know it!"

"Paige, no one is more qualified to teach Bella how to be a witch. Who better to teach her than someone who has been in her shoes before? Just a year ago, weren't you just discovering you were one of the three most powerful witches in the world? Weren't you overwhelmed and lost as a witch, trying to make it on your own? You had your sisters to help you. Now Bella needs you to show her. If anyone can do it, it's you, Paige," Leo preached, giving one of his famous inspirational speeches.

Paige looked at Leo like a lost kid, "But what if I can't do it?"

"I know you, Paige. I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't think you could handle it," Leo smiled, verbally nudging her into submission.

Taking a deep breath, Paige gave into Leo's persuasive arguments. "I guess you're right. But I can't do this by myself, you know."

"Chris and I will be here the whole time," Leo promised, grinning widely at Paige. "Bella, meet your new whitelighter."

"What exactly is a whitelighter?" Bella wondered out loud, trying to keep up with the conversation, but failing miserably.

"A whitelighter is sort of like a magical guardian for new witches. They help their charges come into their powers and learn how to be a witch," Leo explained, feeling guilty for not thinking about explaining it all to Bella beforehand. "Whitelighters give witches advice on how to vanquish demons, help them learn how to make potions, write spells, scry, and help them learn how to use and control their active powers. Basically, if you have any questions or need any help with anything magical, all you have to do is call Paige's name and she'll be there to help."

"So whitelighters are kind of like guardian angels for witches? They watch over us and make sure we don't get into too much trouble?" Bella clarified, trying to understand.

"Pretty much. They also tend to offer advice when you don't want it, so be careful," Phoebe joked, looking at Leo as she said it.

"So Paige is my whitelighter? What does that mean?" she wondered.

"It means, training starts tomorrow morning," Paige answered, already planning out the next day's schedule, thinking of the best way to train Bella how to be a witch.

"Good luck," Phoebe laughed, earning a glare from both Bella and Paige. "You're gonna need it," she mumbled under her breath, hoping neither witch could hear her.

"Okay, Bella, focus. Feel the power building in your fingers. Remember: don't let your emotions get the best of you. Steady. Channel your emotions through your power. Now let it go!" Paige instructed, watching as Bella released a perfectly aimed blast of pyrokinesis, hitting the target straight through the center.

It had been a month since Bella's encounter with Aarmond, and every day, after class, Bella would orb over to the Halliwell manor to practice with Paige. When it came to controlling her powers, Paige had been a blessing, helping her learn to channel her emotions through her power instead of trying to separate the two. Orbing to the manor every afternoon had given Bella time to practice her orbing, as well. She could now orb without stumbling over her own feet every time she landed, but she still felt a little queasy sometimes.

As far as potion-making and spellcasting, Bella was having a harder time grasping on to potions than spell casting. It's not that she was particularly bad; it's just that Bella had never really been a fan of Chemistry, and potion-making bared a strong resemblance to Chemistry. Spellcasting wasn't hard, since Bella was naturally a skilled writer. In fact, according to both Paige and Leo, she was a natural at spell casting, similar to the way Phoebe seemed to gravitate toward spell casting and away from potion making, though that later changed.

"Good job!" Paige congratulated, smiling at her student. "I think we've done enough practicing with your active powers. Let's head into the kitchen and work on potions. Did you do your homework?" Ever since Bella had first begun training, similar to the way Piper had done with Paige, she was having Bella memorize the different uses for the various ingredients and having her recite them back to her.

"Yes…" Bella mumbled, softly. This was her least favorite part of being a witch. It wasn't like she didn't have enough homework to worry about at school, but she also had to study the different uses of herbs and spices used in potions. And then, she had to come to the manor and mix the ingredients to make potions. She had barely passed Chemistry with a 'C' because she never could understand the different reactions and combinations of the elements. Who cared that NaCl stood for Sodium Chloride, another name for basic household salt?

It was a Saturday and she had been practicing for the last five hours straight, without so much as a water break. She was tired, annoyed, and she most definitely was not looking forward to working on potions for the next several hours.

Sighing, Bella decided there was no point arguing with Paige about it. All arguing would do is anger both Bella and Paige and make the rest of the day miserable. Deciding to just suck it up and deal with it, Bella began answering Paige's never-ending interrogation on potions.

However, after two hours of identifying herbs and spices, Bella was starting to get bored and annoyed. She was hungry, thirsty, tired and bored and she had taken about as much as she could of reciting names, purposes and uses of potion ingredients. If this didn't end soon, she just knew she was going to lose her mind.

"Burdock Root. Oftentimes, Burdock root is used in purification rituals, protection rituals, or to ward off or vanquish evil. You should never mix burdock root and eye of newt because it could explode," Bella droned, monotonously.

Pointing to another plant, Paige asked, "And this one?"

"Mandrake. Used in small doses for love spells and as an aphrodisiac, but Mandrake root is also used in several vanquishing potions for powerful, upper-level demons. Not to be taken lightly, Mandrake can be lethal if anyone is exposed to too much of it for too long."

"This one," Paige continued.

"We've been doing this for two hours straight, Paige. Don't you think it's time for a break?" Bella asked as politely as possible, considering how annoyed and bored she already was. She didn't want to seem ungrateful for all that Paige had been doing for her, but she was about ready to tear her own hair out.

"Just a few more," Paige responded, not missing a beat, unaware of just how miserable her student really was.

"But I'm tired. I haven't eaten anything all day. I haven't had a break in training for 8 hours! If I don't get a break soon…" Bella began, only to be interrupted by Chris as he entered the kitchen.

"Paige, your sisters need you for a power of three spell," Chris interrupted, trying to stop the growing tempers from flaring.

Glaring at Chris and Bella, Paige gave in, but not without offering one final warning. "Fine, but when I get back, we're going to work on mixing potions." Then, without allowing Bella to get a word in edgewise, Paige orbed out, off to help her sisters vanquish the latest demon.

Bella looked over at Chris, relief shining as clearly in her eyes as the sun's reflection. "Thanks."

Chris gave her a knowing half-smile. "Don't worry, I know she might be a little demanding and overwhelming at times, but she has the best intentions at heart," he promised, obviously able to relate to Bella's struggles. "You couldn't have gotten a better person than Paige to be your whitelighter, though. Trust me. She trained me."

"She trained you? But how is that possible? She didn't even know she was a witch until a year ago, and you're only three or four years younger than her…" Bella questioned, confusion becoming more apparent on her face by the second.

"Umm… I meant to say, she helped me learn how to be a…" Chris stumbled, looking wide-eyed and scared at the information he had just let slip. "I have to go." He had been trying incredibly hard not to talk about the future or too much about his own life around Bella, not wanting to disrupt the future even more than he already had. He knew he had to tell the Charmed Ones and Leo why he was there, but he wanted to limit who knew the truth about him.

"Chris wait!" Bella cried, but it was too late. He was already gone. "Damnit. Me and my big mouth."

"What about your big mouth?" Phoebe asked, orbing into the kitchen with Paige and Piper.

"Nothing," she lied, sighing in frustration. Just when she seemed to be making progress with Chris, she had to screw it all up again. She had been trying so hard to break through his outer shell and make him realize he could trust her, but so far, nothing had worked, and he was even wearier of her now that he had let too much slip.

"Are you ready to start mixing potions?" Paige asked, an evil smirk crossing her face, to which Bella simply groaned. "Alright, so in order to create a generic vanquishing potion, you have to add…" Paige began, falling right back into her role as whitelighter, never even hesitating for a second.


	4. Avoidance

_**Chapter Four: Avoidance**_

Chris was avoiding her. That much, she knew. Every time she would enter a room, he would find a reason to orb out. Whenever she tried to talk to him, he would keep his answers short, even when she tried drawing out the conversation. She feared she might have scared him off after he had revealed the truth about his past. And yet, she hadn't told a soul about it. She was hoping he would see her silence as a sign of trust, but so far, she hadn't had any luck. And she didn't really even know what secret she was supposed to be keeping. She had her theories, yes, but they were still just theories.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she heard a call echo throughout the empty house, breaking her from her personal reverie. "Oh… hey… Bella," Chris drawled, as he rushed around the corner, in search of someone or something. "Is Piper home?"

"No. She's out with Wyatt. But I'm here, and we really need to talk," Bella quickly interjected, knowing she had better take the chance while it was there.

"I.... we have nothing to talk about," Chris argued, searching the kitchen for some long-lost item – probably a potion ingredient or some other magical object.

"Chris, you can't keep avoiding me forever! I'm a part of the Charmed One's lives now. You're stuck with me, like it or not. You can't just ignore me," Bella demanded, getting sick of being blown off.

"I can try," Chris mumbled under his breath, softly enough so that Bella couldn't hear.

"Chris STOP! I don't even know what I did to make you start avoiding me! This is ridiculous," Bella complained, following him around the house while he continued his frantic search. "What are you looking for?"

"Look, Bella. Now is NOT the time for this. I've got demons on my trail and I have to make this vanquishing potion before they find me. Where is the mandrake root? It wasn't in the kitchen and it's not in the attic," Chris declared.

"The mandrake root is in the conservatory. Paige had me working on a vanquishing potion for a," Bella began, only to stop mid-sentence as Chris left her standing in the living room alone, heading for the conservatory and the mandrake root. "…. Chris wait!" Bella called after him.

"Got it!" Chris crowed, grabbing the mandrake root before orbing out. Bella had had enough of his games, and she wasn't going to let him use demons as an excuse again. He'd played that card too many times already. Quickly orbing after him, she landed in the attic where Chris was busy working on a vanquishing potion. Looking at the book, she noticed it was open to the page on Harpies.

"Harpies? I thought they were just myths," Bella questioned out loud.

"The common idea of Harpies is a myth – or rather an exaggeration of their true form. Real Harpies are related to Furies, only they have wings and they only target thieves," Chris explained, adding the ingredients into the potion one at a time, so as not to cause an explosion.

"So why are they after you?" Bella asked the obvious.

"I may have taken something from their nest," Chris admitted, concentrating on adding the final ingredients to the potion and reciting the incantation.

Both Chris and Bella were surprised by the loud crash of breaking glass as two Harpies burst through the attic window. Reacting on instinct, Bella held her hands out, letting the feeling of fire consume her and releasing a stream of perfectly aimed pyrokinesis at one of the Harpies. Screaming in pain, the Harpy fell to the floor in agony, rolling around in an attempt to put the fire out. The other Harpy fixed her glare on Bella, hate emanating from her piercing stare. Closing her eyes, Bella willed herself away, orbing out just before the Harpy struck the air where she had been. Chris threw the now finished potion at the remaining, vengeful Harpy, vanquishing it just as the other one exploded. The explosion was enough to knock Bella back against the old couch, but all that remained of the Harpy was a pile of ash.

"Damn…" Bella whispered, as Chris helped her off the floor, checking to make sure she wasn't hurt. It wasn't like he could heal her, even if she was hurt, anyway.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd catch up with me that quickly," Chris apologized, looking sincere for the first time in weeks.

"It's okay. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all," she waved it off, not wanting Chris to feel too bad about what had just happened. "See, I can be helpful," she added, giving him a smug smile, "You just have to trust me."

"Bella, I told you, I can't," Chris lectured, switching moods as rapidly as the Harpy's surprise attack, his defenses coming up immediately.

"Chris, you can't keep running from me. Face it; I'm a part of this fight. I'm going to be spending a lot of time here, and you can't keep me in the dark forever. I'm going to find out what's going on eventually, so you might as well just tell me now and save us all some headaches," Bella reasoned, determined to get him to confide in her.

"Or, I could just do this," Chris smirked before orbing out.

Bella was set in her decision, though, and she wasn't going to let him get away from her that easily. Not this time. She knew something was going on, and she was tired of always being left in the dark. She was tired of hearing, "It's for your own good," or her favorite, "I can't risk the consequences." Following him was the only option she had left. "That won't work, Chris. Or did you forget that I can orb too," Bella announced as she orbed into P3.

"Why are you following me?" Chris growled, not at all pleased with Bella's latest tactic. He liked his privacy, and he couldn't risk changing the future more than he already had. He didn't know what kind of consequences telling her might have or if it would even make a difference at all, but he knew he didn't want to risk messing everything up. He had come back for one reason, and one reason alone – to save Wyatt. He couldn't risk something happening to screw up his plans.

"Because I don't know any other way to get you to talk to me!" Bella ranted, her voice growing in volume with every word. She was tired of the word play and the mystic messages. She was tired of never getting a straight answer. She was tired of his disappearing act and his avoidance tactics. Most of all, she was tired of being the only one left in the dark. Whether he liked it or not, she was here to stay, and he had better accept that fact sooner rather than later, before things got out of control.

"Look, Bella, please don't take it personally. It has nothing to do with you. I can't tell you because I just can't risk messing with the balance of things or risking the consequences. It's too dangerous. It's complicated, and it's nothing against you. I just… I can't," Chris explained, closing the door to his room at the club, effectively ending the conversation and making Bella feel even more like an intruder in the Charmed One's lives.

Orbing back to the manor, even more depressed and disheartened than before, Bella returned to her homework, working on the vanquishing potion Paige had given her for practice. It wasn't that Bella didn't appreciate all the work Paige had put in to training her and helping her control her powers, it was just that she was getting tired of doing everything "for practice." She wanted some real action, like what she had just done in the attic with the Harpies. She saw the demons the Charmed Ones fought on a weekly basis, and she wanted to be out there, too, protecting innocents and saving the world one demon at a time. Maybe it was because she hadn't had as much experience as the sisters, but Bella had a sort of glossed over, hero view of witchcraft, which would, undoubtedly, fade with time.

It didn't take long before the vanquishing potion was finished and Bella had to head to class. Even though she was a witch now, she was first and foremost a senior in college. In other words: her classes were still her number one priority. Grabbing her backpack off the floor and finding the rest of her class work spread across the dining room table, she orbed to her apartment to change clothes and head to class. Bella was almost certain Ryanna had noticed her strange behavior. After all, it wasn't until after she had become a witch that Bella began locking her bedroom door. It wasn't that she was worried about Ryanna snooping, she just didn't want to risk orbing while Ryanna could see her. Besides, orbing was a lot easier than walking or driving and it saved Bella from having to explain who the Halliwells were and what she was doing at their house all the time.

Walking out of her bedroom, Bella was surprised to find Ryanna waiting for her in the living room, a somber expression on her face. Gesturing to the seat across from her, Ryanna waited for Bella to take a seat before continuing. "We need to talk," were her only words that come, giving no allusions as to what this talk was about. However, Bella didn't need Phoebe's premonition power to know that whatever Ryanna was about to say wasn't going to be good. This day was about to get a whole lot worse.


End file.
